Page Title

Text Box: President Elaine Bobrove Elbob5@comcast.net Treasurer Ernie Kiesel EKiesel4@comcast.net Secretary Sharon Goldstein sharongoldst@comcast.net Vice-Pres/Blackwood Sharon Goldstein sharongoldst@comcast.net Vice-Pres/Rohrer Larry DeVaro ljdevaro@aol.com Vice-Pres/Camden James Lawson JLConcept@aol.com Membership Chairs Karen Feldman kfeldman@camdencc.edu Martha Bachman mystic4664@worldnet.att.net Editor Irene Schiller irene@northlab.com

Camden County College Adjunct Faculty Federation

AFT 4965

www.ccc-aft.org

Text Box: AFT/NJ Endorses Model Legislation AFT/NJ, the AFT governing body for New Jersey, endorsed at its January meeting the model legislation proposals developed by representatives of the College Council, Rutgers University, and the New Jersey State Federation of Teachers (NJSFT). CCCAFF, along with other NJ community college locals, is a part of the NJSFT. This means that New Jersey will join a number of states putting forth legislative bills whose passage could change the face of American higher education. The Program and Policy Council (PPC) of the AFT Higher Ed Division originally formulated the outlines of the model legislation as part of a coordinated effort to address the “academic staffing crisis”—the growing dependence on adjunct faculty in higher education. The proposed legislation addresses the following areas: Part Time and Adjunct Faculty Health Benefits Bill: provides health insurance availability to all adjuncts who carry at least 25% of a full-time teaching load. Premiums will be partially paid by the college on a pro-rata basis. Unemployment Insurance Benefits for Part Time and Adjunct Faculty Bill Restoring the Ranks of Full Time Faculty Bill: proposes to increase full time faculty teaching undergrad courses to 75% of courses by increasing the number of full time positions by 2013. Consideration of Current Employees: requires colleges to develop a systematic way for qualified part time and adjunct faculty to receive preferential consideration for full time employment when such employment becomes available. As a next step, AFT/NJ will approach legislators who might be interested in sponsoring the legislation and formally drafting the proposals into legislation. In a tight budget climate, such endorsements may be difficult to find. There is also, of course, no guarantee that all of these proposals will find their way into successful legislation. In any event, passage of this legislation will be a long process taking several years. We must keep our needs and desires before the legislators to be successful.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:

· Get involved and join the AFT Activist Network at http://www.aft.org/e-activist/

· Write your legislator; www.njleg.state.nj.us/ has names and information about pending legislation

· Keep up with what’s happening.

· Write an OP-ED piece.

· Discuss important issues with family & friends.

CCCAFF Mentoring Program

The CCCAFF Executive Board voted to sponsor a mentoring program for new adjuncts. Membership Co-chair Karen Feldman noted that each year 1/4 to 1/3 of adjuncts at CCC are teaching for the first time. A mentoring system staffed by experienced adjuncts would ease the way for new instructors. It is hoped this program will be in effect for the fall semester.

Those interested in serving on an organizing committee for the project should contact President Elaine Bobrove at elbob5@comcast.net.

New Attendance Grade Proposed

In an effort to address the gap in financial aid reimbursement caused by students who do not attend classes, CCC is instituting a new Satisfactory Attendance Grade (SA) to be given at week four along with XA and NA grades. The State of New Jersey will not accept a grade of “F” as proof that the student sat in the classroom.

The attendance grade is not a “verified grade” and can be changed by the instructor at any time during the semester if a student’s attendance changes. A student with an SA grade who ceases to attend class can have the grade changed to NA to reflect a change to satisfactory attendance.

Although this policy will not be put into full force until next fall, the policy will be piloted during the spring semester.

Text Box: Every new full member of AFT is entitled to a free $12,000 life insurance policy.